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FIA recently announced Red Bull's fashion brand, AlphaTauri, as their first official clothing partner.
AlphaTauri was previously the face of Red Bull's B team on the F1 grid till 2023, before the team rebranded as Visa Cash App RB Formula One Team. A few days ago, the fashion outfit managed to strike a three-year contract with the sport's governing body.
In an official press release, FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem spoke about how the sport's partnership with AlphaTauri organization would prove beneficial. He said:
"This partnership with AlphaTauri enables us to bring comfort and style to our FIA clothing range. AlphaTauri's innovative approach and dedication to fashion make them the perfect partner.”
Many F1 fans took to social media to voice their surprised at the announcement. Given AlphaTauri's roots with Red Bull, some fans joked about FIA and Red Bull having an unsaid partnership. The governing body helping the Austrian-British team in F1 has been a running joke that has been making the rounds ever since the controversial 2021 F1 season.
"Oh here comes the FIABull chants once again..," one fan wrote.
Some fans were so surprised to see the announcement that they had to check whether it was coming from the official FIA account.
"I genuinely had to check if this was a fake account," they wrote.
Apart from joking about FIA and Red Bull's secret relationship, some people were simply surprised by the news and stated that it was very random.
"This is one of the most random news ever what," they wrote.
FIA president does not want to purposefully curb Red Bull's dominance
In 2023, FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem spoke about Red Bull's dominance in the sport and how there should be no measures to intentionally stop them.
As quoted by Motorsport.com, Sulayem brought up examples of Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher's dominant eras, indicating that Red Bull's recent success was not new to the sport. He claimed that it would be harsh on Max Verstappen and his team if the governing body stepped in to try and stop them from winning.
“It [domination] has happened so many times: just look at Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher. How to stop? It's a bit harsh and not right to go and punish success. I mean, I'm open for suggestions if you think that there is a way to be fair and to be democratic, and not to just punish Max and his team or any other team. We're all ears here really," Mohammed Ben Sulayem said.
Red Bull's domination during the 2023 F1 season was unprecedented, with the team winning 21 out of 22 races. They scored a total of 860 points and won their sixth Constructors' World Championship by a comfortable margin.
